Dawnpelt's love: August contest entry
by Toralu
Summary: The prompt was: Love is a tricky thing, wild, uncontrollable, tragic, dangerous. The heart goes where it goes, nothing can stand in its path. I'm trying to improve so reviews and comments would be very helpful and very appreciated, thank you!


Darkness covered the sky, one or two warriors of silverpelt showing between the clouds and the leaves of the trees that surround the camp. Dawnpelt stared up at the sky, fixing her gaze on the stars.

_How could you let this happen? I thought you were supposed to protect us._

They twinkled back, unanswering. She sighed and turned her head way, scanning the camp instead. Redscar sat at the tunnel, his pelt was torn and his head was down in exhaustion. She stood, stiff from her crouched position by the warriors den and padded slowly over to him.

'Anything?' she mewed.

He looked up and shook his head. A wind rattled the branches of the barrier around camp, Dawnpelt fluffed up her fur against the biting cold as she sat down and sighed again. The cut on Redscar's shoulder still looked painful.

'Did you see Lilypelt?' she asked.

'Of course,' he said, his tone irritated, then he flicked his tail in apology and turned his gaze to the tunnel again. She understood, they were all tired and stressed.

'What about you?' he asked, his eyes searching the darkness outside the camp.

She nodded, 'yes,' her mind going back to the previous day, to the patrol at the border.

This leaf-fall and leaf-bare had been particularly harsh, the air was dry and freezing cold and the ground crunched like ice under their paws. Prey had hidden away from the cold deep in the ground and the cats were thinner and hungrier than ever before. Kits were skinny and tired and the medicine cats dished strengthening herbs out to patrols. The relationship with Cloudclan had grown tense, every patrol brought bristling pelts, accusations flew and pieces of prey had been found on both sides of the border. Yesterday Stormclan's, her clan's, leader Earthstar and Cloudclan's leader Ravenstar had met at the border. She ruffled her fur as she remembered Earthstar ordering to attack, the resulting fight had been particularly harsh. She winced and shifted from paw to paw, shivering slightly as she remembered Earthstar's anger mirrored by Ravenstar's, his amber eyes, usually so mellow, narrowed in anger. Earthstar had ordered more guards that night and then gone to his den to discuss with his senior warriors. Their two clans so close were bound to have fights, but somehow she had always avoided the subject in her mind and this one seemed more terrible than ever.

'Our shift will be over soon,' Redscar yawned.

Lost in thought Dawnpelt hardly heard him. She couldn't believe the little black-furred apprentice she'd met with at gatherings was a clan leader now. Leading his clan against her own. Pain pierced her heart as she remembered his cold gaze fixed on the patrol, then, as they left, the slight turning of his head to look at her, the expression in his amber eyes flickering. Anxiety? Sorrow? Then he had turned and led his patrol away. Tomorrow, at the gathering hollow, they would meet and fight as rivals. She looked back up at the stars.

_Why? _She thought, _are you punishing me? Is this some kind of payback for loving a cat from another clan? Then punish me alone, _she thought, lowering her head and sinking her muzzle onto her paws. _Not everyone else._

A kit in the nursery whimpered in fright. Dawnpelt closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

Morning dawned, cold and grey. Cats paced around the camp or sat in groups, picking at fresh-kill. Dawnpelt noticed some were looking excited, others looked nervous. She just felt sick. Lilypelt was threading her way through the cats, patching up any wounds she could.

'Have you eaten something?'

Dawnpelt looked up and saw a young white she-cat with black and brown patches standing next to her, a mouse in her jaws. She dropped it at Dawnpelt's paws and pushed it towards her looking concerned. Dawnpelt thanked her and took a few bites, it tasted dry and tasteless as she swallowed.

'Are you okay?' the she-cat sighed, 'you're not..yourself."

'I'm fine Songsky,' she forced a smile.

The two had known each other as kits and she knew Songsky was not convinced but she was saved another question by the appearance of Earthstar. He came out of his den and crossed the clearing, his tabby fur rippling as he went to the entrence and summoned the patrol. They rose immediately and went to join him, the remaining cats watching anxiously as they slipped through the tunnel. The patrol raced silently through the forest, speaking only in hushed murmers, the air filled with nervous tension, their paws brushing through the grasses and getting soaked with dew. Overhead grey clouds rolled slowly over the sky, threatening snow or rain. They reached the edge of the gathering hollow and crouched, hiding, waiting for Earthstar's order to attack. They knew Cloudclan was there and Dawnpelt's ears pricked as Ravenstar stepped out, his sleek black head raised high as he led his patrol down into the hollow, they followed behind him in a body, their bright eyes flickering around the edge of the hollow as they tried to find the Stormclan patrol. Earthstar rose and hissed then he leapt forwards and yowled,

'Stormclan, attack!'

They exploded out of the bushes and raced down the slope, but Cloudclan was ready for them, meeting them with thorn-sharp claws. Dawnpelt's heart thudded in her ears as she skidded down the slope and looked around at the fighting cats, trying to see one pelt among the rest. She saw him, fighting with a Stormclan tom, she watched with bated breath as he gave the warrior a heavy blow to the top of the head and then something crashed into her and she was thrown sideways onto the ground, her vision suddenly full of sky and grass. Something heavy pinned her down and she yowled as claws dug into her pelt, piercing her sides. A red-brown Cloudclan she-cat glared down at her, her teeth bared in a snarl. Dawnpelt struggled and bucked, trying to throw her off and get a good grip in her pelt. It started raining, the icy drops soaking through Dawnpelt's fur to her skin. She kicked out at the she-cats belly and in retaliation got a stinging blow to her ear. Suddenly the she-cats weight vanished as she was bowled off her. Dawnpelt struggled to her feet and saw Ravenstar, batting the she-cat away.

'She's had enough,' he growled.

She just saw the she-cats bewildered expression before she was clawed from behind and turning, leapt back into the battle, full of renewed strength.

The battle went on, the rain poured down, the fighting cats paws turning the ground from grass to mush. Dawnpelt lost account of time, yowls and shrieks filled the air and rain soaked their pelts, she continued fighting, glancing round the clearing, checking for Ravenstar. She was fighting a lithe grey tom when suddenly the yowls faded and she was aware of the fighting cats slowing. The tom's claws grazed her side and she hissed then froze, staring past him. He turned and stopped too. Earthstar and Ravenstar were facing each other in the center of the hollow, the fur along their spines bristling, their tails lashing slowly from side to side. The cats drew back, suddenly hushed. Horror closed up Dawnpelt's throat. _No_

'Time to end this,' Earthstar hissed.

Dawnpelt saw what happened next as if in slow motion. Earthstar crouched, ready to leap; Ravenstar mirrored him. Earthstar, a good leader but ambitious and strong, he would stop at nothing to defend his clan, nothing, she knew that. Ravenstar.. Ravenstar lunged and his paw slipped in the mud, she saw his eyes widen in surprise as he skidded forwards, his throat and belly suddenly exposed. She saw Earthstar's eyes narrow and he leaped, his claws glinting. She didn't even have to think. Her paws propelled her forwards as she raced across the clearing and leapt, shoving Earthstar off and away from Ravenstar and fastening her teeth around his throat. Dimly aware of the yowls of shock around the clearing as Earthstar thrashed and growled, scoring his thorn-sharp claws down her shoulders she hung on, digging her claws into the ground and his pelt.

'T-traitor,' he chocked out, his eyes widening and staring at the sky as he went limp.

She didn't let go, blood leaking from his throat onto his chest and staining her muzzle and paws. He suddenly struggled again, his next and final life, but he was clearly still weak and she clenched her teeth tighter together, red filling her vision and her heart pounding in her ears. She heard pawsteps behind her and felt paws pulling her back but by then it was too late, his throat too badly torn. Earthstar fell back, his eyes fixed on hers, filled with anger and disbelief, he opened his mouth and a gurgling choke came out then his eyes glazed over and he slumped down onto the ground.

'Traitor!'

'How could you!?'

Angry yowls surrounded her. Dawnpelt tore her gaze away from Earthstar's frozen eyes and looked through the angry and shocked gazes to find Ravenstar's. He was staring at her, his amber eyes wide. The yowls and hisses grew louder and Dawnpelt turned and saw her clanmates glaring at her. She met Songsky's shocked gaze, her friend was staring at her in disbelief and as their gaze met she took a pace back.

_I'm so sorry, _she though t, _I had to do it._

Her clanmates advanced, their claws out, clanmates she had grown up with and patrolled with, hissing and growling, their eyes narrowed with sudden loathing.

'Punish her!' they yowled.

'Drive her out!'

Dawnpelt shrank back, the red on her grey and white paws suddenly making her head spin.

'Stop!' Ravenstar stepped forwards and flicked his tail, at once the Cloudclan warriors swarmed round them, forming a barrier between Dawnpelt and her clanmates. The Stormclan cats yowled in anger but stopped. Dawnpelt met the deputy, Shoalfur's gaze through the cats, the silver she-cats blue eyes were narrowed to slits and she hissed.

'You will never be welcome again in Stormclan, from now on you are nothing but a rouge!'

Dawnpelt felt a deepening sense of dread and she imagined her life now, wandering alone through twoleg place.

'No,' a voice suddenly said, 'she has a home.'

She looked up and saw Ravenstar looking down at her, his eyes warm, 'in Cloudclan, with me.'

Dawnpelt felt a fierce stab of joy as he rubbed her muzzle against hers and purred quietly. The Cloudclan cats turned and moved away, keeping a barrier between her and the Stormclan cats. She looked over her shoulder as she left the hollow, her old clanmates were standing by their dead leaders body, their eyes turned up towards her, glinting with hatred and disbelief. She felt another stab of pain but it dimmed as she climbed over the edge of the hollow and Ravenstar turned towards her.

'Thank you,' he murmered, his eyes bright. He twined his tail with hers, 'I love you.'

'I love you too,' she murmured, leaning against his shoulder and burrying her muzzle in his fur.

She turned her back on the hollow and her old clan and let him lead her away, to her new home.


End file.
